Jennifer Cronk is the Director of Professional Learning for the Warwick Valley Central School District (NY). She shares her experiences as innovative educator and leader with diverse experience in designing technology curricula and providing and coordinating professional development. Follow http://twitter.com/jenniferacronk This episode of House of #EdTech is brought to you by TodaysMeet. Visit http://www.todaysmeet.com/houseofedtech House of #EdTech is sponsored by Audible.com. There are over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or other mp3 player. http://www.audibletrial.com/houseofedtech   All links and shownotes at http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/04/jenncronk-tobii-and-filip-oh-my-hoet033.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: cnesi4602 Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrnesi Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com

It's that time of year and the nomination period for the 2015 Bammy! Awards is underway. I am eligible for a Educators' Voice Award that is driven by your online support! I would really appreciate your support for this honor and you can show your support by going to bit.ly/nesibammy15. I need your support to vote before May 15, 2015. It only takes a few minutes. Complete blog post at http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/04/2015-bammyawards-show-edu-love.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: cnesi4602 Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrnesi   Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com  

There is something positively magical about the last few days of school in June. Kids are overwhelmed with anticipation, possibility, energy and joy. It’s a wonderful time of year, second only in my mind to the days before winter recess. I decided to add to the magic by introducing some of my K-4 classes to our plans for the STEMLAB. My goals: share the vision, gather student input, and generate some excitement. Most of all, I wanted to listen. So, as I passed them my Chromebook (you can see it in some of the photos) I introduced the project with a few words about "what we want computer lab to be like next year." I showed them a photo of our new classroom (I made sure to mention that much/most of the existing furniture would be removed). We watched a short clip from an Engineering is Elementary video (click here, go to slide 6). I explained how we’d be doing projects some of the time, and other times, they’d be able to watch videos (made by me) explaining how to do things on the computer instead of listening to me lecture. Finally, I asked them - at the urging of Christian Long - to tell me how they like to learn. (The question evolved a bit as we went along, ultimately becoming "how they like to work.") "I learn best when I’m relaxed and I think, ‘Hey, I can do this,’ and everything’s going good." "I like to learn from my teacher and my mom and dad." "I like to learn by doing science." "I work best when I’m very comfortable. At home I have the X-Box seat, where I play, and sometimes I do my homework on it." "I work better when I’m playing." We’re not done yet - I plan to spend these last precious few days conducting and documenting more listening sessions. (Half the class gets to play games while I meet with the other half of the class, then we swap. It’s a win-win.) Takeaways so far: Comfort is king. Students say they learn best when they control the environment, so they are relaxed and can concentrate. Mobility is important. Individualized learning appeals to them. "You mean I can watch the video over and over until I get it?" Yep! Technology is great but teachers, moms & dads are important. Many students talked about learning activities at home, science projects, writing stories, practicing math, creating things on their computers, etc., with the help of an adult. Students were especially thrilled by my Chromebook. "It’s so light!" one exclaimed. "You mean I get one of my own to use?" (Me: while you’re in school, yes, but you can’t take it home.) "So we are going to have to be very careful with these, right?" (Me: yes, please!) I can’t WAIT for school to start in September! - Dom, rising 4th grader Neither can I, Dom. Neither can I! -kj- This post is part of a series about our plans to "reinvent" my K-4 Computer Lab class as a STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology & Math) course starting in September 2012. By "thinking out loud" here I hope to keep stakeholders apprised of our ideas, activities & progress while I gain wisdom and perspective from anyone who cares to join the conversation.

Angela Watson is an education consultant, tech coach, author and podcaster. Angela shares insight about coaching teachers, her latest book and her awesome podcast, Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/angela-watsons-truth-for-teachers/id954139712?mt=2 Follow Angela Watson http://www.twitter.com/Angela_Watson   This episode of House of #EdTech is brought to you by TodaysMeet. Visit http://www.todaysmeet.com/houseofedtech   House of #EdTech is sponsored by Audible.com. There are over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or other mp3 player. http://www.audibletrial.com/houseofedtech   All links and shownotes at http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/04/nothing-but-truth-with-angela-watson.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: cnesi4602 Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrnesi   Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com

Here are a few more of my favorite Apple links of the fast several weeks. Some are informative, several just plain funny. I challenge you to tell me which is which. Ron Miller wonders is Steve Jobs may be right...

Miguel Kudry is the founder and CEO of HelpHub Services Inc. Kudry has a degree in Business Administration and Management with an entrepreneurial interests and passions for social media marketing and web development. Follow http://www.twitter.com/kudry http://www.helphub.me   This episode of House of #EdTech is brought to you by TodaysMeet. Visit http://www.todaysmeet.com/houseofedtech   House of #EdTech is sponsored by Audible.com. There are over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or other mp3 player. http://www.audibletrial.com/houseofedtech   All links and shownotes at http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/05/miguel-kudry-socializes-tutoring-via-helphub.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: cnesi4602 Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/mrnesi Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com

Laura Fleming is the Library Media Specialist at New Milford High School (NJ) where her library maker space has garnered national attention and has served as an inspiration for schools across the country. Follow Laura Fleming http://www.twitter.com/NMHS_lms   This episode of House of #EdTech is sponsored by:   TodaysMeet.com   Audible.com   Complete shownotes at: http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/05/learning-and-making-with-laura-fleming.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: cnesi4602 Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: @mrnesi   Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com

eLearning is an abundantly visual medium. As a result, designers and developers who can think visually are able to envision the final product, conceive visuals for content and visualize how information fits together. The great news is that visual thinking can be developed. According to Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures, our built-in visual thinking tools consist of our eyes, our mind’s eye and a little eye-hand coordination. He then proceeds to teach readers how to compose sufficiently simple pictures with just a few components, specifically noting that software is NOT needed. The ideas in the book, of course, are supported by great sketches. Although this book is oriented toward the solving and selling of ideas in business, most of the techniques and concepts can be easily transferred to the general notion of solving problems through visual thinking. I’m a big fan of this approach. When I have a lots of information and content to understand and organize, I sit on the floor with large pieces of paper and start diagramming like mad. It might take ten tries to pull it altogether, but drawing definitely helps many of us to think things through. Often, our roles expand beyond design and development and into the business realm. We might need to convince a client that training will solve a problem, show a SME a quick sketch for an interactive activity, or visualize some concepts to help a client understand where we’re going with an idea. In this light, the book can be quite handy for multiple purposes. The Back of the Napkin is organized into four sections and here’s a quick summary of each one. Introductions: In Part I, get ready to be convinced that anyone can become competent at visual thinking. Why would you want to? Because it promotes problem solving and facilitates communication. The author then explains how looking, seeing and imagining are the processes of visual thinking. Discovering Ideas: Here, the author describes the principles and exercises for seeing the whole picture and then analyzing this picture in an effort to solve a problem. This second section is particularly relevant to designing instructional products. By the end of this section, readers have an idea of how to select the best framework for showing information visually, which helps one focus on the most essential elements of a problem. Developing Ideas: In Part III, the reader learns how to take the framework and turn it into a picture. This involves running through many types of visual models. The ultimate goal is to take advantage of visuals for expanded thinking and efficient problem solving. Selling Ideas. In our field, the final part of the book could be relevant when you need to convince a stakeholder, an executive or a client that your ideas are workable. How? Use Dan’s method for discovering, developing and showing your solutions. One thing about the book’s approach—if you’re looking for a quick and easy 1-2-3 experience, then this isn’t for you. The topic is somewhat complex and the author doesn’t skimp on providing depth. So you’ll need to think things through, ponder and maybe even sketch to really get it. That’s how I like it. The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam. Publisher: Portfolio, 2008. Post from: The eLearning CoachReview: The Back of the Napkin Share this on LinkedinTweet This!Email this to a friend?Share this on FacebookShare this on del.icio.usStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponAdd this to 100 bookmarks

Stacey Lindes returns and is joined by AJ Bianco as I present our first episode of the #PodcastPD Podcast in the podcastic episode! Join in on #PodcastPD - Sunday nights @ 8:30 PM eastern.   This episode of House of #EdTech is sponsored by:   TodaysMeet.com HelpHub.me Audible.com   Complete shownotes at: http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/06/the-power-of-podcasts-and-podcastpd.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: cnesi4602 Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: @mrnesi   Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com

Josh Gauthier is a Technology Training Specialist for the Unified School District of De Pere (WI). Josh shares his insight on Chromebooks, coding, coding and more! Follow Josh Gauthier   This episode of House of #EdTech is sponsored by:   TodaysMeet.com - Add a backchannel to your classroom today!   HelpHub.me - Become a tutor and earn extra money!   Audible.com - Get 2 FREE Audio Books!   Complete shownotes at: http://www.chrisnesi.com/2015/06/chromebooks-and-coding-in-class-with.html   FEEDBACK Call: (732) 903-4869 Voxer: mrnesi Email: feedback@chrisnesi.com Twitter: @mrnesi   Send a voice message from http://www.chrisnesi.com